Infinity And Beyond
To celebrate the 25th anniversary of Hong Kong's return to China in 1997, Chinese media company Mango TV and Hong Kong broadcaster TVB joined hands to produce a music programme titled Infinity And Beyond.
The first episode premiered on MangoTV Super Variety's YouTube channel on April 25. The show features 16 singers such as Hong Kong's Miriam Yeung, Sally Yeh, George Lam and Hacken Lee, as well as China's Mao Buyi, Bibi Zhou, Sara Liu and Shan Yichun.
The performers are divided into two teams by gender and compete to be featured in a Cantopop record.
The first episode was themed around Cantopop numbers the performers feel proud of. For instance, Lam belted out his machismo-exuding song The Long Road Accompanies You On Your Adventure, while his wife, Yeh, sung her heartfelt number Blessing You. Liu crooned Faye Wong's evergreen hit No Regrets.
To watch the show on YouTube, go here.
Kenshi Yonezu concert
Japanese singer-songwriter Kenshi Yonezu has released a concert recording of his When The Spine Becomes Opal tour in 2019 on his YouTube channel.
He opened with the sultry numberFlamingo before launching into the upbeat Loser.
Flanked by drummers dressed in outfits with hoods, the singer with a long fringe also performed the rousing Undercover and his hit song Lemon on a stage drenched in yellow light.
To watch the show on YouTube, go here.
4 stars
Hip-hop
Kumachan
Pro
Following his first two albums Infinity (2015) and Sisyphus' Dream (2019), Taiwanese rapper Kumachan has grown from strength to strength.
His third album, Pro (2022), with its sharp verses and self-reflexive elements, is a clever and daring work.
On the track Zenfire, the 31-year-old puts his own record company under the microscope, audaciously rapping: "I am at Sony Music Entertainment, but I know music isn't just entertainment."
Showing that he is not afraid to reveal his insecurities and self-doubts, he does an inner monologue in Confidence.
The album is chock-full of collaborations, including a track called Favorite Alarm with acclaimed Taiwanese singer-songwriter Weibird Wei.
He teams up with another Taiwanese singer-songwriter, 9m88, for Dear Astrologist, a standout track featuring a rich and complex dialogue between men and women, as well as science and astrology.
